Dispensing container



Sept. 27, 1932. J. A. VILLOCHI DISPENSING CONTAINER l 'iled March 6, 1931 /5/ /v H 7/2400 I i Patented Sept. 27, 1932 JOHN A.vIi.LocH1, or EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA DISPENSING CONTAINER Application .filed March 6, 931. Serial No. 520,669.

My invention relates to a dispensing container more particularly intended for dis pensing small elongated articles, such as. cigarettes or the like, although it is not limited to the dispensing of any specific article. v I More specifically, the invention relates to a container or receptacle for cigarettes or the like which is arranged to slide on a stationary base, and has means whereby a cigarette will be fed from the receptacle into a groove in the base each time the receptacle is manually moved forward against the resistance of a suitable spring or'the like concealed in the 5 apparatus and returned by said spring to normal position.

My invention includes a magazine or casinghaving above its bottom a plate which slopes downwardly from the rear wall toward the front wall of the magazine and terminates'short of the latter wall in a downwardly'extending lip. The bottom of the receptacle also terminates short of the front wall of the receptacle and has at its forward ed e an upwardly extending lip which bears against the front side of the downwardly extending lip of said plate. .Thus an opening is formed at the forward end of the bottom of the receptacle through which articlesin the receptacle may drop into thegroove in the base when the casing moves forward. When the casing is returned by the spring to normal position the opening is closedby the upper surface of the base. The term plate is used in a broad sense since a solid block properly recessed would be an obvious equivalent. 1

Myinvention also includes a feeder having downwardly converging front and rear walls and a rearward extension from its upper rear angle. This feeder is located 'in a recess in the forward ends of the bottom and plate of the magazine with the'rear end of its eXtension pivoted at the rear edge of the recess. When the magazine is in its forward position the upper surface of the feeder is below the surface of the plate. When themagazine is retracted the feeder is lifted as it slides over a projection in the'bottom' of the casing, thus rising above said plate and separating a portion of the articles at the forward portion of the magazine-from the mainsupply, and it exerting a straightening and comp'acting action on'the cigarettes or'other articles' remaining in the magazine. As the magazine moves forward" the front w'a'll'of the feeder and the upwardly extending lip at the forward end of the bottom act as plungers to force the separated articles into position for delivery;

Forabetter understanding of my inventlon reference shouldbe hadfto the accompanying drawing illustrative of a preferred embodimentthereof, wherein: V Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus showing it with an article delivered into the groove of the base after actuation; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the device by a plane passing centrally through the same, the receptacle being in its rearmost posit-ion;

' Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but "showiigng the receptacle in its most advanced posiion;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on-the planes represented by the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective'view of the actuating spring and bridge member, parts of the receptacle and base being broken away, and

Fig. 6 is a detail rear elevation'of the plate member or magazine floor and hinged feedingam-ember of the receptacle. 7

eferring'to said drawing, "Fig. l'shows 'a' casing or receptacle 3 having a removable cover 4, mounted upon astationary base 1, the'under side of which may be covered with felt or the like 2, as shown best in Figs; 2and' 3. Secured to the upper side of the stationary bottom 1 by meansof-bolts 6 and7' and cooperating nuts 6a, and 7 a is a bridgememb'er 9. This bridge member has a portion 9a depending from "each end of its under side", which portions extend, respectively through a pair of longitudinally aligned slots 15 and 16 in the bottom of the receptacle. Thus the part of the bridge member '9 which extends between'its depending portions 9w overlies that part ofthe bottom of the receptacle which lies between the slots 15 and '16 so that the bridge member prevents detachmentof the receptacle from the base. and its depending portions, by engagement with the ends of said slots, limit the forward and rearward movement of thereceptacle on the base.

A spring 5, bent into suitable, preferably curved, form has its forward end secured to the base by the bolt 6 and its rear end bear:

' ing against the rear wall of the receptacle3,

' tacle also terminates short of the front wall of the receptacle and has at its forward edge an upwardly extending. lip 14a which bears against the front side of the downwardly extendinglip at the forward end of the plate or false bottom 8. Thelip 14a and the front wall of the receptacle'together form a passage of sufficient width toallow the article being dispensed topass therethrough, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. I r

Referring now to Fig. 4, the forward ends of the bottom 14 and plate or false bottom 8 are cut out as shown at 22 to form a sub stantially rectangular notch in whichis lo- I tcated the rear end of an article-feeding member 17 hinged on a rod 18 as shown. This article-feeding member in the form illus trated is substantially trapezoidal in cross section, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3,

with an extension running from one vertex to the hinge rod 18. Since the rear end of the member 17 is loosely pivoted at the hinge joint, itsforward end will be caused by gravity to dropbelow the plate or false bottom 8 if nothing preventssuch descent thereof,

as shown in Fig. 3, for instance, but when the spring 5 retracts the receptacle 3 toits rearmost position, said trapezoidal part of the member 17 will abut against the upper end of the bolt 6, which constitutes an abutment that will raise the member 17 ,by acting as a stationary cam, int-o theposition shown in Fig.2- I a The base 2 has a transverse groove in its upper side adjacent its forward end to receive a cigarette or other article from the receptacle 3 each time the receptacle ismoved forward to bring the openingbetween the forward end of the bottom 14 and the front wall of the receptacle above said groove.

For convenience in moving-the receptacle 3 to its .forward position with respect to the base 1, finger grips 12 and 13 are provided base 1 and receptacle 3 respectively,

' whichwhen gripped by the fingers, as indi- It will thus be seen that each time the receptacle 3 is moved forward with respect to the stationary base 1,the member 17 will descend to the position shown in Fig. 3 and that said member will again be returned to .its raised position, as shown in Fig. 2, whenever the spring5 returns the receptacle to its rearmost P08111101];

These motions will serve tofeed the articles 21 contained above the plate 8 in orderly fashion to the opening or slot in front of said member 17 and between it and the front wall of the receptacle 3, whereby jamming of the said opening is'prevented.

The groove 19 in the base 1 is made of sufficient depth to clearthe article to be dispensed, so" that the receptacle 3 will not catch on said article at the beginningof its return motion, thus leaving the article, here shown as a cigarette, upon the return of receptacle 3 to its rear position. The cigarettes or the like 21 stored ,in the magazine above its 'fioor 8 will thusbe fed oneat'a time inorderly fashion, without jamming, into the groove 19, so that in orderto obtain an article it is necessary only to apply pressure of the fingers to the finger grips 12 and 13 tolbring themtogether and thereupon to release them again.

Referring toFigs. 2 and 3, it will be ob,- served that as long-as more than one cigarette remains in the magazine, there. will always be a reserve in the passageat its forward end,

arranged one above the other, so that when I one cigarette is deposited in the groove. 19, another is ready to falllinto the groove at the nextoperation. Sometimes, when the articles are hurriedlydeposited in the magazine, they become slightly. disarranged andlie in. a more or less criss-cross order, and sometimes the articleitself isflat on one side or otherwise irregular in shape, so that gravity alone would not insure a feedat every operation of the device, butwith my feeder there is a packing action on each return movement of the receptacle, tending to straighten the articles remaining in the magazine above the 4 feeder, and a positive .thrust against the articles in the forward passage oneach forward movement. If at anytime a cigarette should failto roll down'fromthe main supply into the passage when the receptacle moves forward, there would still be one or more left in the passage after the lowermost One'has been. deposited, and, before this re serve could be-exhausted,those in the main supplywould be sufliciently agitated and straightened to permit one. or more to-fall intothe passage. Once inthepassage there can be no failure, for at every forward movement the feeder acts as a plunger to force the articles in front of it into exact vertical. arrangement over the groove 19.

By turning down the forward end of plate 8, I increase the depth of the passage, thus providing space for separating one or more cigarettes from the main supply, and to these is added at least one more which rolls'over the feeder into the passage as the receptacle returns. a

It is clear that the device may be modified in many ways, for instance, a spring of any other form may be substituted for the spring 7 5, and it is likewise clear that other means could be substituted for bridge 9 to accomplish the same result. Also, the magazine may be fixed and the base movable. In this case the only essential functions of the base are its uses as a sliding closure for the passage, and as a support or actuatorfor the projection which lifts the feeder. The base may be in the form of a plate, curved to form groove 19. Accordingly, I do not limit myself to the specific structures illustrated, except as hereinafterclaimed.

I claim: 1 v

1. An article delivery apparatus, comprising a base having a pocket in its upper surbetween its lateral edges, a feeder of substantially V-shape in cross section hin 'ed at its rear edge adjacent the rear edge 0 said cut away portion with its forward end in substantially vertical alignment with and urged by gravity below the forward end of said plate, and means on said base engageable with said feeder when said magazine is moved rearwardly on said base to lift the forward end of said feeder above the forwardend of said plate.

3. A delivery apparatus comprising a base, a casing mounted thereon having aligned slots in its bottom, and a bridge member having downwardly projecting ends extending through said slots and secured to said base.

4. A delivery apparatus comprising a base, a casing slidable on said base and having aligned slots in its bottom, and a bridge member having downwardly projecting ends extending through said slots and secured to said base; a feeder in said casing, and means securing said bridge member to said base, said means being operative, when said casing is moved on said base, to actuate said feeder.

- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 7 my hand.

JOHN A. VILLO CHI.

face adjacent its forward end, a magazine 7 ing with the latter wall an outlet adapted, I

when the magazine is moved forwardly, to align with the pocket in the base, said plate having a recess in its forward end, a feeder hinged adjacent its rear end insaid recess with its forward end substantially in vertical alignment with the downwardly turned portion of said plate and caused by gravity to depend below the upper surface of said plate when the magazine is positioned with its outlet over the pocket of the base, and means on said base engageable with said feeder during the rearward movement of said magazine relatively to said base to lift the forward end of said feeder above the upper surface of said plate. V

2. An article delivery apparatus, comprising a base having an article-receiving pocket in its upper face adjacent its forward end, a magazine slidable longitudinally on said base, yieldable means urging said magazine rearwardly on said base, a plate inclined downwardly from the rear wall toward the front wall of the magazine and terminating short of thelatter wall and forming with the having a portion of its forward end cut away 7 

